# Having a laugh: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 15, Test 2, Reading Passage 3

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 15, Test 2, Reading Passage 3. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 27 | C | laughter and humour provide psychological scientists with rich resources for studying human psychology |
| 28 | A | These were intended to help people at home feel like they were in a social situation, such as a crowded theatre. |
| 29 | B | On average, the results were remarkably consistent: worldwide |
| 30 | B | the newcomers produced more dominant laughs when they were in the 'powerful' role of teasers |
| 31 | D | high-status individuals were rated as high-status whether they produced their natural dominant laugh |
| 32 | F | watch a video clip eliciting either humour, contentment, or neutral feelings |
| 33 | H | Students who had watched the Mr. Bean video ended up spending significantly more time working on the task |
| 34 | C | spent significantly more time working on this tedious task |
| 35 | D | humour has been found to help relieve stress |
| 36 | E | humour is not only enjoyable but more importantly, energising |
| 37 | NOT GIVEN | people's guesses were correct approximately 60% of the time |
| 38 | YES | Analysis revealed that, as expected, high-status individuals produced more dominant laughs |
| 39 | NO | Participants were allowed to quit the task at any point. |
| 40 | NO | the traditional view of task performance implies that individuals should avoid things such as humour |

## Why these answers are right

**27. C.** The first paragraph ends by saying laughter and humor 'provide psychological scientists with rich resources for studying human psychology'. That is the point the paragraph builds toward, so the writer's emphasis is on laughter's value to scientific research, option C.

**28. A.** Douglass's laugh tracks were 'intended to help people at home feel like they were in a social situation, such as a crowded theatre'. Wanting viewers to feel part of a laughing crowd shows he understood that humor is enjoyed in groups, which is option A.

**29. B.** Listeners from 24 very different societies, from New Guinea tribes to city-dwellers, judged the laughs, and 'the results were remarkably consistent: worldwide' about 60% were correct. The study stands out because so many cultures gave similar results, which is option B.

The why and the trap for questions 30 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/having-a-laugh/answers).

[Practice Having a laugh](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/having-a-laugh)